Towards a critical realist epistemology

Bibliographic Data

ID8103013
AuthorsKyle Albert (0000-0002-0029-0189, Department of Sociology University of Victoria Victoria British Columbia Canada, corresponding author), Jonah Stuart Brundage (0000-0001-9977-7677, Department of Sociology University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan USA), Paige L Sweet (0000-0002-9173-0396, Michigan United), Paige Sweet (Department of Sociology University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan USA), Frédéric Vandenberghe (0000-0003-0614-8420, Institute of Philosophy and Social Sciences Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro Brazil)
Year2020
Volume50
Issue3
Pages357-372
Publication date2020-08-11
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal for the Theory of Social Behaviour (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-8308 • E-ISSN: 1468-5914
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jtsb.12248
OpenAlexW3048715937
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited30

When critical realists consider epistemology they typically start from “epistemological relativism.” We find this position necessary, but we also find it insufficient because it lacks a critique of the highly unequal social relations among observers themselves—relations that shape the very production of knowledge. While it is indeed the case that all knowledge is fallible, it is also the case that all knowledge is positioned , with a particular standpoint. What is more, the social power relations between standpoints organize the production of truth in ways that produce systematic distortions. In this paper, we propose a critical realist social epistemology. We introduce feminist standpoint theory and postcolonial theory as our suggested interventions into critical realism and we use two case studies of existing work to highlight i) the social production of truth and the real, and ii) what is at stake for radicalizing epistemology in critical realism. In so doing, our paper emphasizes the epistemic complexities that continuously shape ontology, a commitment to subaltern voices or experiences, and a thorough interrogation of the relations between positions of knowledge production

Critical realism (philosophy of perception · Epistemology · Epistemology of Wikipedia · Interrogation · Ontology · Politics · Realism · Relativism · Social epistemology · Sociology · Subaltern · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · Critical Realism in Sociology · Philosophy · Political Philosophy and Ethics

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